Assessment of Water Quality and Eutrophication of Lakes
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J. Environ. Nanotechnol. Volume 2 (2013) 46 - 52 pp. ISSN (Print) : 2279 – 0748 ISSN (Online) : 2319 - 5541 doi:10.13074/jent.2013.02.nciset38 Assessment of Water Quality and Eutrophication of Lakes Omkar Singh1, C.K. Jain National Institute of Hydrology , Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Abstract In this study, water quality and eutrophication aspects of Mansar, Surinsar, Tsokar, Tsomoriri and Renuka lakes have been discussed. The water quality parameters were compared with BIS standards for drinking purposes. The values of physico-chemical water quality parameters for Mansar and Surinsar lakes (Jammu Division) were found within the desirable limits except low DO in hypolimnion. Whereas, the values of physico-chemical parameters for Tsomoriri and Tsokar lakes (Ladakh region) were found beyond limits having much higher concentration of pH, total dissolved solids, total hardness, chloride, calcium, magnesium. The water quality of Renuka lake shown higher concentration of magnesium, iron, manganese, lead, total coliform, faecal coliform and low DO in hypolimnion. The eutrophication status assessed on the basis of phosphate concentration show eutrophic condition of Mansar, Surinsar, Tsomoriri and hyper-eutrophic condition of Tsokar and Renuka lake. The results indicate that efforts are required to lower the existing eutrophication levels by adopting conservation measures for the lakes. Kewords : Carlson’s TSI, Eutrophication, Lake, Water Quality, Western Himalayas. 1. INTRODUCTION requirements, cultivation on mountainous catchments coupled with indiscriminate use of The Himalayas are endowed with chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides has hundreds of relatively smaller fresh water lakes, also enhanced problem of water quality degradation which used as natural centers of civilization and and eutrophication of water bodies. A large scale to cater the civilian needs. Many lakes are unique fish mortality often observed in most of the ecosystems and valuable from the historical, Himalayan lakes during winter and posing threat cultural, biological and socio-economic point of to ecological imbalances in the region. view. They serve variety of purposes like- drinking, irrigation, recreational, aqua-culture, etc. The Ramsar Convention on wetlands has However, with the exponential growth of notified 26 lakes/wetlands as international population in India, the land and water resources importance in India. Of them, six are located in are facing a tremendous pressure and the Western Himalayan Region namely, Renuka Himalayannatural resources are no exception to this (H.P.), Mansar-Surinsar, Tsomoriri, Wular and fact. Consequently, intensive agricultural practices, Hokera wetlands in Jammu & Kashmir. In this encroachments up to the lakeshore, disposal of solid study, water quality and eutrophication status has wastes, and discharge of domestic and industrial been assessed for five Himalayan lakes (Renuka, wastes have posed a serious problem of water quality Mansar, Surinsar, Tsomoriri and Tsokar lakes). degradation. The felling of trees for wood/energy 2. STUDY AREA OmkarSingh E-mail : [email protected] The present study deals with the lakes 47 Omkar Singh et. al./ J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Vol. 2 , 46-52, (2013) located in the State of Jammu & Kashmir (Mansar, placed in the priority list of lakes, which required Surinsar, Tsomoriri, Tsokar) and Himachal Pradesh immediate attention for restoration under the title (Renuka) in the Western Himalayas. Tsomoriri and “Management of Lakes in India”(Reddy & Char, Tsokar lakes fall under Ladakh Region having cold 2004). The lake rests in a long valley and the desert type climate with annual rainfall in the order surrounding slopes are covered with a variety of of about 100 mm. The Mansar and Surinsar lakes vegetation and thick woods. The supply of the lake are situated in the Lower Siwalik (Jammu Region). is through nallahs draining the catchement and Mansar lake receives fresh water through rain over probably numerous underlying springs. The the lake basin area and large number of information of the lakes under this study are given subterranean springs within the base of the lake. in Table 1. The rain water flows into the lake through overland flow. Climatically, the Jammu region falls under 3. REVIEW the subtropical zone and average annual rainfall is 1500 mm with air temperature variation from 30 A number of studies have been reported C(minimum) in winter to 430 C (maximum) during in the area lake investigations (Zutshi, 1989; peak summer. Omkar & Sharma, 1994-95; Jain et al., 1999, Kumar et al. 1999a, Kumar et al. 1999b; Das and The Renuka lake is one of the natural Dhiman, 2003; Shewa, 1998, Rai et al; 2006, wetlands located in the Sirmour district of the 2007). Physico-chemical and biological Himachal Pradesh. The Renuka lake is a very characteristics of Mansar lake have been studied important tourist & religious place of the HP. Being by Zutshi (1985, 1989), Chandra Mohan (1992) situated in the main range of lesser Himalayas, this and Gupta (1992). Zutshi et al. (1980) reported wetl and is of special importance from bio- that lakes of Jammu and Kashmir are different in diversitypoint of view. The National Wetland their morphology and thermal behaviour and vary Management Committee of the Ministry of from sub-tropical monomictic to dimictic type. Rai Environment & Forests (Govt. of India) has et al. (2001) performed studies on bathymetry, recognized the Renuka lake as one of important sedimentation rate and water quality of the Mansar. wetlands of the country, which requires conservation and management on priority basis However, studies on Renuka lake are (State Council for Science, Technology & reported limited and include mainly morphometry Environment, Govt. of HP). This lake also finds and water quality aspects lake (Singh et. al, 1987; Table 1. General information about the lakes under this study Omkar Singh et al. / J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Vol. 2 , 46-52, (2013) 48 Anonymous, 1996, 2004). as per BIS (IS 10500: 1991) for drinking purposes. The data of phosphate obtained in different years 4. MATERIAL & METHODS was used to study eutrophication status of these lakes on the basis of Trophic State Index (Carlson, 1977). In the present study, water quality data of the Mansar, Surinsar (Jammu Region), Tsomoriri 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION and Tsokar lakes (Ladakh Regions) of Jammu and Kashmir and Renuka Lake (H.P.) has been used. Water Quality The data includes mainly: pH, EC, TDS, DO, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Alkalinity, HCO3, Cl, SO4, NO3, PO4, The variation of water quality parameters F, Hardness. In-situ measurements of Temperature, of different lakes under this study are given in Table pH and EC were also made using portable 2. The study has shown pH values greater than 7.0 instruments. Standard Water Sampler was used for all lakes under this study, which indicate fordepth wise sampling in the Mansar Lake. The alkaline nature of lake water. The average values analysis of the water samples was carried out using of pH of Tsomoriri (8.96) and Tsokar (8.82) lakes standards procedures (APHA, 1985/Jain & Bhatia, were found beyond permissible limits for drinking 1987). The water quality of the lakes was evaluated purposes. The values of TDS (2272 mg/l), TH (3161 Table 2. Water quality assessment of Mansar, Surinsar, Tsomoriri and Tsokar lakes 49 Omkar Singh et. al. / J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Vol. 2 , 46-52, (2013) mg/l), Mg (747 mg/l) in Tsomoriri lake and TDS The water quality of the Renuka lake was (40659 mg/l), TH (19743 mg/l), Cl (9028 mg/l), also assessed as per BIS norms of drinking water calcium (1300 mg/l), magnesium (4010 mg/l) in quality (BIS-10500: 1991). The results are given Tsokar lake were obtained extremely higher than in Table 3, which show mean values of some water the prescribed desirable limits for drinking quality parameters beyond desirable limits viz. purposes. magnesium (mean 41 mg/l against limit of 30 mg/ l), total coliform (mean 61 MPN/100 ml against The results indicats wide range of limit of 10 MPN/100 ml), faecal coliform (mean variation of water quality parameters for the lakes 50 MPN/100 ml against limit of zero MPN/100 of Ladakh Region in comparison to the lakes ml)), iron (mean 1.49 mg/l against limit of 0.3 mg/ of Jammu and Kashmir Regions. It may be l ), lead (mean 0.35 mg/l against limit of 0.05 mg/ primarily due to presence of evaporites in lakes l), manganese (mean 0.87 mg/l against limit of of Ladakh division attributed in cold desert 0.10 mg/l ) and cadmium (mean 0.01 mg/l against type climates GSI (1977) has also reported limit of 0.01 mg/l ), respectively. However, pH, exceptionally v e r y high v a l u e s of salt total hardness, TDS, calcium, sulphate, fluoride, containing constituents in the Ladakh division. alkalinity, DO and BOD were also found to be Table 3. Water quality assessment of the Renuka lake for drinking purposes Omkar Singh et. al. / J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Vol. 2 , 46-52, (2013) 50 exceeding the desirable limits in few water Index (Carlson, 1977) using phosphate data. The samplesof the Renuka lake under this study. eutrophication of Renuka lake was assessed on the Therefore, the Renuka lake water requires ap- basis of phosphate data collected during 2006-2008 propriate water treatment measures before use (Fig. 2). The results are given in Tables 4, which for drinking purpose. indicated eutrophic condition of Mansar, Surinsar and Tsomoriri lakes. Whereas, Tsokar and Renuka lake were found under hypertrophic condition. The results indicate that there is a need for taking appropriate actions for conservation and restoration of the lakes. 6. CONCLUSION The study has shown a majority of physico-chemical parameters fall within range for drinking and irrigation purposes in the Mansar and Surinsar. Whereas, water quality for the lakes of Ladakh region (Tsomoriri and Tsokar) shows extremely higher concentration of salts attributed due to prevailing cold desert type climate having Fig.